Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez says it can be ‘empowering’ when people make fun of her

'Do what you’re gonna do. Act more and more childish. Just do it, because you’re not gonna stop'

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has said it can be "empowering" to tell people to make fun of her, as doing so makes her critics look "childish".

The Democratic congresswoman, who became the US representative of New York's 14th congressional district in January, has been mocked on several occasions in the past, most recently on account of her past job as a bartender.

While some may feel perturbed by the frequent derision she's faced as a high-profile politician, Ocasio-Cortez doesn't let the derogatory comments bother her.

"When you bust out that door and you're like, 'No, I'm not going to let you make me feel that way' - it's kind of jarring," the 29-year-old tells Vanity Fair.

"It's like, 'Wait, she's not stopping, and she's supposed to stop'."

Ocasio-Cortez continues, explaining that she feels power in encouraging commentators to criticise her.

“It can be very empowering to say, ‘Make fun of me. Do it. Draw the little insults on my face'," she says.

“‘Do what you’re gonna do. Act more and more childish. Just do it, because you’re not gonna stop. You’re just not gonna stop this movement. You’re not gonna do it.’”

While Ocasio-Cortez admits to feeling more able to handle the attention that comes with her political role, she explains that becoming a household name overnight as a congressional candidate in June 2018 was overwhelming.

"At first, it was really, really, really hard. I felt like I was being physically ripped apart in those first two to three months," the politician says.

"[On] 25 June, outside of my immediate community, very few people knew who I was besides my friends."

On 7 March, Ocasio-Cortez responded on Twitter to a post written by conservative columnist Jane Chastain, who called for a nationwide boycott of the Girl Scouts of America.

Chastain called for the boycott after learning the congresswoman had been a Girl Scout.

"Boycotting cookies that teach little girls leadership skills to own the libs. Nice job," Ocasio-Cortez sarcastically tweeted.

"I'll take 10," she added, with a winky face emoji.